The Measure of Man

Tests

Playing the Game: Tests

Tests are the basic way of determining success or failure. When a Battle-Brother performs a task, he is testing against one of his characteristics to determine his success. There are two types of tests: Characteristic Tests (see below), which are generalized tests based directly on Characteristics, and Skill Tests, which describe a task that requires a certain type of expertise to perform.

All tests are based on a chance roll, in which the Battle-Brother rolls a percentile, or d100. If the result is lower than the Characteristic he is rolling against, he succeeds, if the result is higher, he has failed. For example:

Brother Ganicus is attempting to use the Dodge Skill to negate an incoming melee attack. Dodge is governed by Ganicus’ Agility [in game, each Skill in question will be marked by its governing Characteristic like so: Dodge (Ag)], which is 40. Ganicus rolls: 57. A failure! On a roll of 40 or less, Ganicus would have dodged the attack. Instead the foe connects with it’s strike.

Skills are organized into two further categories, Basic and Advanced. Basic Skills are common to all humans, and may be used Untrained, though at half the governing Characteristic (rounding down) if not possessed. For example:

Brother Ganicus is attempting to lie to an inquisitor whom he believes is undeserving of the information he possesses. Deceive is a Basic Skill, common to all humans under Imperial rule. Ganicus however is Untrained, and hasn’t been trained in the subtleties of deception as say, an Assassin would be. Deceive is governed by Fellowship; Ganicus’ Fellowship is 40, but, being Untrained, Ganicus may only use half of his Fellowship to make the Test, making his effective Fellowship 20. Ganicus rolls: 14. A miraculous success despite Ganicus not being trained in the Skill. The inquisitor is none the wiser to the Apothecary’s hidden agenda.

Basic Skills include such skills as Climb, Dodge, Search, Scrutiny, and Swim, whereas Advanced Skills include those such as Demolitions, Medicae, and Tech-Use.